Hartlepool United (Home)
- Hartlepool United are 9th in the National League with 54 points from 37 games while Eastleigh are 18th with 42 from 38, so there’s no denying Hartlepool have been the better side in 2025-2026.
- Pools did bounce back from a disappointing home defeat to FC Halifax Town to grind out a hard-fought 1-0 away win at Truro City, and are a low-odds favorite at 1.58 to do the job again at home to Eastleigh on Saturday.
- Pools have pressed more and played with pace in their build-up, while a more flexible and less rigid approach up front has given them more cutting edge in the second halves of games.
Eastleigh (Away)
- The Sharks have a lot to sort out as Richard Hill returns as interim manager following a turbulent spell under Scott Bartlett.
- Hill will be trying to restore a bit of identity to the side who beat Brackley Town 2-1 at home last time out, but were beaten 1-3 by Rochdale the game before that.
- Eastleigh do try to play with energy and there are some good players there who can create some good chances in patches, but they just haven’t been able to press consistently enough to stifle opponents and they’ve been too easy to break down in transition.
- Hartlepool will get the game at a tempo they like and will look to capitalize on Eastleigh’s defensive lapses.
- But they have won one and lost two of their last three at their home ground and we think the momentum is with them for this, although Eastleigh will attack and could nick a goal at some point in the match.
Head-to-Head
- Hartlepool United are undefeated in their last five head-to-head matchups with Eastleigh (Won 2, Drawn 3).
- Pools are undefeated in their last five against The Sharks, including a 2-0 away win in this competition three months ago.
Key Players
- Alex Reid has led the line for the Tynesiders all season with 9 National League goals in 32 appearances, but Tyrese Sinclair has added some spark to Pools in January and bagged three of their eight goals in the last five games while also contributing more in terms of creativity up front.
- Eastleigh can’t boast anyone with such stats right now as Aaron Blair is their most prolific player with 15 goals in 31 National League appearances.
Betting Insights
- Both sides will give it a good go on Saturday and as both teams to score is favoured at 1.7, it looks like the way to go.
- Eastleigh have only scored 21 goals in 19 National League away games this season (average 1.11 per game), but Pools have been solid defensively at their own ground this term, letting in just 19 goals in 19 matches (average 1.00 per game).
Prediction
Therefore, the goals could be scarce and the fact that Pools are undefeated in their last five against The Sharks, including a 2-0 away win in this competition three months ago, tips the result in favour of the hosts.
